Creeper for boots and shoes



July 9, 1929. H. s. COBURN CREEPER FOR BOOTS AND SHOES Filed April 4,1927 "'25 f'prises--asheet metal body-member l `'0 upstanding PatentedJuly 9, 1929. fit" 1 f 11mm s.coBURN, or MA'niim,

'snlnHlRAM s.rl confirm, DECEASED.

'y 'cnnnrnn roRBooTs 'Ann SHOES@ A'ppiicati'on filed pin-1,

invention :relates to creepers -forattaclnnent to. boots or shoesand ithas for its opj'ect ttoprovide an improved ldevice of this CBJSS.""--='"5-"`,'-"" mi 5 To'this' end I haveprovided an improved creeper forboots'and shoes having the peculiar features of construction and mode ofoperation-setffo'rth in the following description, the lnovel featuresof the invention being particularly pointed out and defined 'inthefclaimsat theclose thereof.

AUInthe;accompanying drawings: 'fr f 1f Figure 1 is a side elevation ofmy improved 'Creeper illustrating the manner in which it I Vis appliedtoaboot or shoe.

IJFigure 2' is 1a `bottomplan view 'creeperlshownv in Fig. 1. A 'Y i fvPF-'gare37s aftop planview, lpartly broken away ati itsfopposite-ends,`ofthe' Creeper showndn'fFigsl and ff Figure 4is a section on line 4-'4of Fig. 1. Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of FigQ. i Figure 6 is asection on line6-6 `of Fig. 1. VA55-herein shown my improved Creepercom- 1 having integralfside iiapsQf-Q providing ways, upon the top sideof the member 1,- =for adjustable sheet metal end sections Sand 4. Eachend Imember or section Sand `4 ismade at the of .the

v -middle of its. inner end portion with aspiring :tongue having a toothAG adapted to occupy one of aseries of slots 7 provided inLthe bodymember l.' 'Ihese spring tongues fitl iatv'vise against the top side ofthe body member lex- 35 :cept .thatitheyare provided, .intermediatetheir ends, With an upwardly bowed loop 4'or eye 8y providing -for the'insertion'therein of a pointed toolv by means of. whichthe Ytonguemay-be liftedl to disengageits tooth '40 fromthe body plate lrwhen theend lmember i-orqsectionof whichgitforms part sfto be ,adjustedlengthwise ,of bodyfmember 1.

At its outer end each end member orisection Band 4 is made withanupstanding abut- "f45-ime'11tearr'9 each formed with a slot ,10 toreceive theihngeeye 11 of asheetlmetalc link 'membery .12. That is,theeyef11 is 'an extension ofthe sheet metal link 12and is' wrapped around,and -pivots on, the cross-bar of; ythe ear 9 that bordersthet'opof the'i 'lvf' "'H'" i. -Each i1ink'12 carriesi a wireleverA 131 ful-.,crumedvat .14; 14 and formed with a 'centrical- 1y disposed loop 15which :constitutes one armo-fthe llev e1';. The other arm or arms,

1927. serial No. 180,717.`

of the leverare constituted by-theend's to which the referencecharacters'l3-are applied and these ends are adapted toengage thetopside ofthe projecting edge of a vsole s' as shown in Figsl and 4.` t Atits middle the member -12 is made with a longitudinal slot through whichthe loopx15 of tlielever 13 extends so that onearm of the lever isuponthe outside of the member and the other arm thereof,to`gether witlrits'trunnions 14, 14, are disposed uponthe op- Vposite side of the "member12.' -`".lhese-trunnions 14, 14 which serve as the fulcrum -for thelever are*4 rotatably :mounted .in bearings provided upon brackets 16,16 made with U- shaped. portions embracing the fside :bars 17 Iof theymember 12. These-brackets 16, or ara ther their U-shaped portions,extendaround the inneriedges ofthe side bars .17' andfare fyieldingly pressedKagainst said-inneredges `75 'by the spring'loopvv 15. Theinner-edgesfofthe side bars lare serrated or notched to faiiord soeketsto receivecross-barsf18, Figs. 4 and 6provided at the middle ofthefU- shaped Ibodyportions of the brackets 16 -whereby said brackets-are normally lockedagainst, movement endwise on'tlie side bars :1T-of the member 12.

VThe loop arm 15 of one of the levers 13 has fastened to its middle onelend of aspring 19 whose opposite end is fastened-toa Shook 20tliat-separably engages the middle portion Eofthe loop arm 15 ofthe-other lever 13. .Vhen the creeper is to be applied to aboot Yor-`shoe the brackets .16 are adjusted on the side bars 17 of the member 12so as to position the same appropriately to the thickness of the lsoleand so that when the Vloop arms 15 are swung yinwardly into positionOIL-.top of the shoe, as shown in Fig.. 4, the levers 13 en- .95 gagethe top side of the opposite edge porytionsohthe sole and-firmly clampthe latter `between 'saidlevers and ythe base `portion or portions 'ofIthe creepentv The -spring 19 is ,made ofsuch' length that afterthe looparms 100 Y15 areswung down into position toward the ftoplof the shoe itisnecessary tostretch the spring 19 to engage the'hook 20 `with 'theopposite loop armd so that-.when the creeper .isdn positiononthefshoethe stress ofthe-105 spring-19 pulls upon the-loop-.arms lthe'rebymaintaining them in gripping engagement with thej edges of the sole. i iWhen adjusting the bracket 16 on the side .bars 17,Said brackets are-first `disengageduc journal brackets slidabl embracing the side bars olsaid links and a justably interloclred with said toothed edges, saidbrackets supporting the fulcrums of said levers, each lever 5 being madefrom Wire and resiliently compressible laterally to disengage saidbrackets from the side bars oi said link.

7. A Creeper for boots and shoes comprising a sheet metal base member tolit against 10 the tread side of the sole; means connected With the endsoi said base member to extend across the top of the shoe to hold thebase member in position; zig-zag perpendicular Walls upon the tread sideof said base meniber, one near each end thereof, and a resilient 15 padoccupying a position between and supported laterally by said Walls.

Signed by me at Boston, county of Suiolk and State of Massachusetts,this 25th day of March, 1927.

HIRAM s. coBURN.

